U.S. patent number 6,580,922 [Application Number 09/643,978] was granted by the patent office on 2003-06-17 for method of transmitting telephone number in wireless local loop system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hyundai Electronics Ind. Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Sun Chan Kweon.
United States Patent |
6,580,922 |
Kweon |
June 17, 2003 |
Method of transmitting telephone number in wireless local loop
system
Abstract
A method of transmitting a telephone number in a wireless local
loop (WLL) system is provided for allowing a user to instantly hear
a ring back tone by immediately performing a dialing in a WLL
terminal when a flash signal is input by the user operating a hook
switch after a telephone number is dialed in an ordinary telephone
connected to the WLL terminal. The method checks the state of a
hook switch of the ordinary telephone connected to the WLL
terminal. When an off-hook sate is determined, it is determined
whether a telephone number is input. When it is determined that a
telephone number is input, the telephone number is stored in a dial
buffer. It is continuously checked whether a flash signal is input
while the input telephone number is being stored in the dial
buffer. When the flash signal is input, the telephone number stored
in the dial buffer is transmitted to the WLL system base
station.
Inventors: |
Kweon; Sun Chan (Ichon,
KR) |
Assignee: |
Hyundai Electronics Ind. Co.,
Ltd. (Kyungki-do, KR)
|
Family
ID: |
19629295 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/643,978 |
Filed: |
August 22, 2000 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
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|
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Dec 24, 1999 [KR] |
|
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1999-61711 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/426.2;
379/352 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M
1/53 (20130101); H04W 84/14 (20130101); H04M
1/72505 (20130101); H04M 1/72502 (20130101); H04M
1/2725 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04Q
7/20 (20060101); H04B 007/24 (); H04Q 007/34 () |
Field of
Search: |
;455/550,426,561,557,552,556,403 ;379/352,355,354,356,216 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Chin; Vivian
Assistant Examiner: Afshar; Kamran
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Merchant & Gould P.C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of transmitting a telephone number in a wireless local
loop (WLL) system including a WLL system controller, WLL system
base station, WLL terminal and an ordinary telephone connected to
the WLL terminal, the method comprising the steps of: checking the
state of a hook switch of the ordinary telephone connected to the
WLL terminal; determining whether a telephone number is input, when
an off-hook sate is determined; storing the telephone number in a
dial buffer when it is determined that a telephone number is input;
and continuously checking whether a flash signal is input while the
input telephone number is being stored in the dial buffer, and
transmitting the telephone number stored in the dial buffer to the
WLL system base station when the flash signal is input.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flash signal is generated
when the hook switch is pressed and immediately released after the
telephone number is input in the ordinary telephone, and is
transmitted to the WLL terminal, the flash signal being different
from a telephone number signal.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: checking
the state of the dial buffer when there is no input of telephone
number in the off-hook state; operating a first timer for counting
a first set time for determining the end of digits when it is
determined that a telephone number is stored in the dial; and
checking whether the first set time has elapsed, and transmitting
the telephone number stored in the dial buffer to the WLL system
base station when it is determined that the first set time has
elapsed.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: checking
the state of the dial buffer when there is no input of a telephone
number in the off-hook state, and operating a second timer for
counting a second set time for determining a time-out when any
telephone number is not stored in the dial buffer; and transmitting
a busy tone to an ordinary telephone when it is determined that the
second set time has elapsed to allow a user to hear the busy
tone.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the time-out is a function which
is set for informing the user that the user did not input a
telephone number for a predetermined period of time in the off-hook
state.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of transmitting a
telephone number in a wireless local loop (WLL) system, and more
particularly, to a method of transmitting a telephone number in a
WLL system, for allowing a user to instantly hear a ring back tone
by immediately performing a dialing in a WLL terminal when a flash
signal is input by the user operating a hook switch after a
telephone number is dialed in an ordinary telephone connected to
the WLL terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, when a terminal-type wireless local loop (WLL) terminal is
used, it is connected to an ordinary telephone.
Since a send key is not provided in the ordinary telephone unlike a
mobile communication terminal, the terminal-type WLL terminal
performs a dialing when there is no key input a predetermined
period time after it receives a dial signal from the ordinary
telephone.
Accordingly, it takes more than 10 seconds for a ring back tone to
be received when a user makes a phone call using the ordinary
telephone connected to the WLL system. Consequently, the user
always needs a certain waiting time until he/she can hear a ring
back tone after inputting a telephone number.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a
method of transmitting a telephone number in a wireless local loop
(WLL) system, for allowing a user to instantly hear a ring back
tone by immediately performing a dialing in a WLL terminal when a
flash signal is input by the user operating a hook switch after a
telephone number is dialed in an ordinary telephone connected to
the WLL terminal.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a
method of transmitting a telephone number in a WLL system,
including the steps of checking the state of a hook switch of the
ordinary telephone connected to the WLL terminal, determining
whether a telephone number is input, when an off-hook sate is
determined, storing the telephone number in a dial buffer when it
is determined that a telephone number is input, and continuously
checking whether a flash signal is input while the input telephone
number is being stored in the dial buffer, and transmitting the
telephone number stored in the dial buffer to the WLL system base
station when the flash signal is input.
The flash signal is generated when the hook switch is pressed in
the off-hook state in the ordinary telephone, and is transmitted to
the WLL terminal as a signal different from a telephone number
signal.
The method of transmitting a telephone number in a WLL system also
includes the steps of checking the state of the dial buffer when
there is no input of telephone number in the off-hook state,
operating a first timer for counting a first set time for
determining the end of digits when it is determined that a
telephone number is stored in the dial, and checking whether the
first set time has elapsed, and transmitting the telephone number
stored in the dial buffer to the WLL system base station when it is
determined that the first set time has elapsed.
The method of transmitting a telephone number in a WLL system also
includes the steps of checking the state of the dial buffer when
there is no input of a telephone number in the off-hook state, and
operating a second timer for counting a second set time for
determining a time-out when any telephone number is not stored in
the dial buffer, and transmitting a busy tone to an ordinary
telephone when it is determined that the second set time has
elapsed to allow a user to hear the busy tone.
The time-out is a function that is set for informing the user that
the user did not input a telephone number for a predetermined
period of time in the off-hook state.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully
understood from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a telephone
number transmitting apparatus to which a method of transmitting a
telephone number in a wireless local loop (WLL) system according to
the present invention is applied; and
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method of transmitting a telephone
number in a WLL system according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of
the present invention according to the above technical ideas will
now be described in detail.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram partially showing the configuration of a
wireless local loop (WLL) system to which a method of transmitting
a telephone number in a WLL system according to the present
invention is applied.
As shown in FIG. 1, the WLL system largely includes an ordinary
telephone 2 and a WLL terminal 12.
The ordinary telephone 2 includes a hook switch 4, button unit 6
and a third interface circuit 10. The button unit 6 has a plurality
of keys to allow a user to input a telephone number and is
connected to the third interface circuit 10.
The hook switch 4 is connected to the third interface circuit 10 so
that it can electrically connect the button unit 6 to the third
interface circuit 10 or break this connection, and can input a
flash signal, which indicates that a user completes the input of a
telephone number that is performed by operating the keys provided
in the button unit 6, to a controller 22 which will later be
described.
Here, the flash is to break the hook switch 4 for 0.1-0.7 seconds.
The flash is effected when the hook switch 4 is pressed for a short
time in an off-hook state and then released to make the hook switch
4 go back to the original state (the off-hook state).
The ordinary telephone 2 indicates a telephone that is owned by a
user who is a telephone subscriber. The ordinary telephone 2 is
connected to the WLL terminal 12, which will later be described, so
as to perform telephone communication through wireless
connection.
The WLL terminal 12 includes a second interface circuit 16 for
interfacing a WLL system base station (not shown) and the ordinary
telephone 2 with voice data such that the second interface circuit
16 receives a voice signal from the ordinary telephone 2 and
transmits it to the WLL system base station through an antenna 14,
and receives voice data from the WLL system base station through
the antenna 14 and transmits it to the ordinary telephone 2, and
for transmitting telephone number data and a flash signal, which
are received from the ordinary telephone 2, to the WLL system base
station; a voice decoder/encoder (vocoder) 18 for coding and
decoding voices; a first interface circuit (subscriber line
interface circuit: SLIC) 20 connected to the second interface
circuit 16, for transmitting the telephone number data and the
flash signal, which are received from the ordinary telephone 2, to
the controller 22, which will later be described; the controller 22
for controlling storing of the telephone number transmitted from
the first interface circuit 20, sending of the stored telephone
number, and the overall operation of the WLL terminal 12; a
transceiver circuit 24 for processing a wireless signal; a dial
buffer 26 for storing the telephone number; a first timer 30 for
counting a first set time predetermined for determining the end of
digits; and a second timer 28 for counting a second set time
predetermined for determining a time-out.
The voice decoder/encoder (vocoder) 18 decodes voice data received
from the transmitter (not shown) of the ordinary telephone 2
through the third interface circuit 10 of the ordinary telephone 2
and the second interface circuit 16 of the WLL terminal 12. The
voice decoder/encoder 18 also encodes voice data received from the
WLL system base station through the transceiver circuit 24.
The transceiver circuit 24 transmits the voice data from the voice
decoder/encoder 18 to the WLL system base station through the
antenna 14 in response to a control signal output from the
controller 24. The transceiver circuit 24 also outputs voice data,
which is received from the WLL system base station through the
antenna 14, to the voice decoder/encoder 18.
The dial buffer 26 is connected to the controller 22 and serves as
a memory for temporarily storing a telephone number, which is input
by a user operating keys provided in the button unit 6 of the
ordinary telephone 2 and received through the controller 22.
The first timer 30 outputs a time signal to the controller 22 when
a flash signal is not received from the hook switch 4 so that the
telephone number stored in the dial buffer 26 can be transmitted to
the base station under the control of the controller 22.
The second timer 28 outputs a time signal to the controller 22 when
a telephone number is not input from the button unit 6 in an
off-hook state so that a busy tone can be output to the receiver of
the ordinary telephone 2. The busy tone is generated for informing
a user that the transceiver of the ordinary telephone 2 is not
exactly hung up.
A method of transmitting a telephone number in a WLL system
according to the present invention will now be described in detail
with reference to such a system configuration, to which the present
invention is applied, as described above.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method of transmitting a telephone
number in a WLL system according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the method includes the steps of (S1) checking
the state of a hook switch, (S7) maintaining a stand-by state when
it is determined that the hook switch is in an on-hook state, (S2)
checking whether a telephone number is input when it is determined
that the hook switch is in an off-hook state, (S3) storing a
telephone number in a dial buffer when it is determined that the
telephone number is input, (S4) checking whether a flash signal is
input while the input telephone number is being stored in the dial
buffer, (S5) transmitting the telephone number stored in the dial
buffer to a WLL system base station when it is determined that the
flash signal is input, and (S6) making a communication connection
by forming a talking path when a called party receives an incoming
call after the telephone number is transmitted.
The method of transmitting a telephone number in a WLL systems
according to the present invention may also includes the steps of
(S8) checking the state of the dial buffer when there is no input
of telephone number in the off-hook state, (S12) operating a first
timer for counting a first set time for determining the end of
digits when it is determined that a telephone number is stored in
the dial buffer as a result of checking the state of the dial
buffer, and (S13) checking whether the first set time has elapsed,
and returning to step (S5) of transmitting the telephone number
stored in the dial buffer to the WLL system base station when it is
determined that the first set time has elapsed.
In addition, the method of transmitting a telephone number in a WLL
system according to the present invention may also includes the
steps of (S9) operating a second timer for counting a second set
time for determining a time-out when any telephone number is not
stored in the dial buffer as a result of checking the state of the
dial buffer when there is no input of a telephone number in the
off-hook state, and (S10 and s11) checking whether the second set
time has elapsed and transmitting a busy tone to an ordinary
telephone when it is determined that the second set time has
elapsed, to allow a user to hear the busy tone.
Such a method of transmitting a telephone number in a WLL system
according to the present invention will be described more
specifically with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
Primarily, as an initial condition, it is assumed that the hook
switch 4 is in a state which is made by exactly putting the
transceiver of the ordinary telephone 2 on a predetermined position
in the body of the ordinary telephone 2, that is, in an on-hook
state. Accordingly, the button unit 6 is electrically disconnected
from the third interface circuit 10.
In this condition, it is determined whether the hook switch 4 is in
the on-hook state in step S1.
When it is determined that the hook switch 4 is in the on-hook
state, the procedure goes to step S7 to maintain the present
on-hook state.
When it is determined that the hook switch 4 is in an off-hook
state, that is, when a user picks up the transceiver of the
ordinary telephone 2 to make a call, it is determined whether a
telephone number is input in step S2.
When the user inputs a digit in a telephone number by pressing a
corresponding key provided in the button unit 6, a key signal
corresponding to the digit is converted into a dual tone
multifrequency (DTMF) signal in the third interface circuit 10 and
transmitted to the WLL terminal 12. The second interface circuit 16
of the WLL terminal 12 transmits the DTMF signal to the first
interface circuit 20.
The first interface circuit 20 converts the DTMF signal into data,
which the controller 22 can recognize, and inputs the data into the
controller 22. When the input data is recognized as the digit of a
telephone number, the controller 22 temporarily stores the digit in
the dial buffer 26 in step S3.
With such an arrangement, whenever the user presses a key provided
in the button unit 6, a corresponding digit of the telephone number
is stored in the dial buffer 26.
The controller 22 checks whether a flash signal is input while
storing the digits of the telephone number, which are input by the
user, in the dial buffer 26.
When the user presses the hook switch 4 and immediately releases it
after completing the input of the telephone number, the third
interface circuit 10 generates a square wave signal as a flash
signal. The square wave signal is different from the signal
generated for the telephone number. The third interface circuit 10
transmits the square wave signal as a flash signal to the second
interface circuit 16 of the WLL terminal 12.
Then, the first interface circuit 20 converts the square wave
signal received through the second interface circuit 16 into data
and inputs the data into the controller 22.
Accordingly, the controller 22 can determine whether a flash signal
is input based on whether the data corresponding to the square wave
is input.
When it is determined that the flash signal is input, the
controller 22 dials the telephone number stored in the dial buffer
26 in step S5.
The dialed telephone number is modulated into a wireless signal by
the transceiver circuit 24 and transmitted to the WLL system base
station through the antenna 14.
Thereafter, when a called party receives an incoming call, a
talking path is formed so that communication can be
established.
After the dialing is performed, the telephone number stored in the
dial buffer 26 is removed.
In other words, a telephone number transmitting method according to
the present invention makes the hook switch 4 of the ordinary
telephone 2 serve as a send key used in a digital cellular system
(DCS) or a personal communication system (PCS), thereby allowing a
WLL system subscriber to instantly hear a ring back tone after
inputting a telephone number without waiting for a long time.
Alternatively, it is determined that there is no input of a
telephone number in step S2, the controller 22 checks whether any
telephone number is stored in the dial buffer 26.
When it is determined that a telephone number is stored in the dial
buffer 26, the first timer 30 for counting the first set time is
operated to determine the end of digits of the telephone number in
step S112.
Since the ordinary telephone 2 connected to the WLL terminal 12
does not have a send key used in a mobile communication terminal,
it cannot generate a signal indicating the end of the input of a
telephone number. Accordingly, the end of the input of a telephone
number is referred to as the end of digits and is recognized based
on the lapse of a predetermined period of time for which any key
input is not generated since the last digit was input.
The controller 22 receives a counting time from the first timer 30
after operating the first timer 30 and compares the input counting
time with the predetermined first set time to check whether the
first set time has elapsed, in step S113.
When it is determined that the first set time has elapsed, it is
determined that the input of the telephone number is terminated,
and the telephone number stored in the dial buffer 26 is dialed in
step S5.
In this case, the telephone number stored in the dial buffer 26 is
also removed after it is dialed. The succeeding step S6 has been
described before, and thus a description thereof will be
omitted.
Alternatively, when it is determined that any telephone number is
not stored in the dial buffer 26 in step S8, the second timer 28
for counting the second set time, which is predetermined for
determining a time-out, is operated in step S9.
The time-out is a function of determining that the transceiver of
the ordinary telephone 2 is not exactly put on a predetermined
position on the body thereof when a telephone number is not input
for a predetermined period of time in an off-hook state and
informing a user of this situation to allow the user to put the
transceiver on the exact position.
Accordingly, after operating the second timer 28 in step S9, the
controller 22 compares a counting time received from the second
timer 28 with the predetermined second set time to check whether
the counting time exceeds the second set time. That is, the
controller 22 checks whether the condition of time-out is made.
When it is determined that the counting time of the second timer 28
exceeds the second set time, the controller 22 generates a control
signal for generating a busy tone (tone indicating that the line is
busy) in step S11.
The control signal is transmitted to a controller, which controls
the overall operation of the ordinary telephone 2 although not
shown, sequentially through the first interface circuit 20, second
interface circuit 16 and the third interface circuit 10 of the
ordinary telephone 2. Thereafter, the busy tone is output through
the receiver of the transceiver under the control of the controller
of the ordinary telephone 2.
Then, the user can take an appropriate action, for example, exactly
putting the transceiver on the predetermined position on the body
of the ordinary telephone 2, after hearing the busy tone.
In a method of transmitting a telephone number in a WLL system
according to the present invention, when a user presses a hook
switch for a short time and instantly releases it in an ordinary
telephone connected to a WLL terminal after inputting a telephone
number, a flash signal is generated and recognized by the WLL
terminal. Accordingly, the telephone number input by the user is
immediately dialed by the WLL terminal so that the user can hear a
ring back tone immediately after inputting the telephone number.
Therefore, the present invention can serve users' convenience in
the WLL system and improve the functions of the WLL terminal.
Although this invention has been described in terms of a preferred
embodiment, it will be understood that various changes and
modifications may be made to the described embodiment without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
For example, in this embodiment of the present invention, a hook
switch is used for generating a flash signal. However, a method of
transmitting a telephone number according to the present invention
can also be applied when an asterisk (*) button or a sharp (#)
button provided in an ordinary telephone is used for generating the
flash signal in stead of the hook switch. The spirit of this
invention will be more apparent with the claims described
below.
* * * * *